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The Top Six Ways to Stay Motivated
By Chris Widener
I receive many emails from people
that basically ask the same question: How can I keep myself motivated
long term? This seems to be quite a common dilemma for many people
so I want to address it because it can be done! Here are my tips
for staying motivated:
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Get motivated every day.
Zig Ziglar was once confronted
about being a "motivational speaker." The guy said
to him, "You guys come and get people hyped up and then
you leave and the motivation goes away. It doesn't last, and
then you have to get motivated again." Zig reminded the
gentleman that baths are the same way but we think it is a good
idea to take a bath every day!
It is true that motivation doesn't
last. We have to renew it each and every day. That is okay. It
doesn't make motivation a bad thing. We simply have to realize
that if we want to stay motivated over the long term, it is something
we will have to apply to ourselves each and every day.
Have a vision for your life.
The root word of motivation is
"motive." The definition of motive is, "A reason
to act." This is the cognitive or rational side of motivation.
It is your vision. You have to have a vision that is big enough
to motivate you. If you are making $50,000 a year, it isn't going
to motivate you to set your goal at $52,000 a year. You just
won't get motivated for that because the reward isn't enough.
Maybe $70,000 a year would work for you. Set out a vision and
a strategy for getting there. Have a plan and work the plan. |
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Fuel your passion.
Much of motivation is emotional.
I don't know quite how it works but I do know THAT it works.
Emotion is a powerful force in getting us going. Passion is an
emotion, so fuel your passion. "Well, I like to work on
logic," you may say. Great, now work on your passion. Set
yourself on a course to have a consuming desire for your goal,
whatever it is. Do whatever you can to feel the emotion and use
it to your advantage!
Work hard enough to get results.
You can build on your motivation
by getting results. The harder you work, the more results you
will get and the more results you get, the more you will be motivated
to get more. These things all build on one another. If you want
to lose weight, then lose the first few pounds. When the belt
moves to the next notch you will get fired up to get it to the
notch beyond that!
Put good materials into your
mind.
I can't say this enough - listen
to tapes. I still listen to tapes regularly. I buy tape clubs
from other speakers and I learn and grow. Their successes motivate
me to get my own successes! Read good books. Read books that
teach you new ideas and skills. Read books that tell the stories
of successful people. Buy them, read them, and get motivated!
Buy great music and listen to it. I just did a spinning class
at the club today. Whenever a good song came on I was actually
able to get motivated to ride faster! It gets you going and motivates
you!
Ride the momentum when it
comes.
Sometimes you will just be clicking
and sometimes you won't. That is okay. It is the cycle of life.
When you aren't clicking, plug away. When you are clicking, pour
it on because momentum will help you get larger gains in a shorter
period of time with less energy. That is the Momentum Equation!
When you are feeling good about how your work is going, ride
the momentum and get as much out of it as you can!
These are the top six ways
to stay motivated:
- Get motivated every day.
- Have a vision for your life.
- Fuel your passion.
- Work hard enough to get results.
- Put good materials into your
mind.
- Ride the momentum when it comes.
These are simple principles,
that when you put them to work regularly, will change your life
by keeping you motivated all the time! Get going! |
